Intensified charge-coupled device
An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD, English for "amplified charge-coupled device") is an image sensor that consists of a charge-coupled device (CCD) to which a microchannel plate is coupled by fiber optics to increase sensitivity. The front photocathode of the microchannel plate picks up the image, converts the incoming photons into electrons , which are amplified when passing through the microchannel plate and converted back into photons on a fluorescent screen on the back . These are transmitted - pixel by pixel - through the fiber optics to the CCD. With ICCDs it is possible to detect single photons.
ICCD are used, for example, in night vision devices , in astronomical observation and in fluorescence microscopy , and here they compete with the electron multiplying CCD . A particular advantage of the ICCD is the possibility of being able to switch the amplification of the microchannel plate quickly, whereby a very fast, electronic control of the exposure time can be realized, down to 200 picoseconds .
Web links
- STANFORD COMPUTER OPTICS - ICCD Technology Review Further information on Image Intensified CCD cameras
- STANFORD COMPUTER OPTICS - Manufacturer of high speed ICCD cameras for scientific applications